Waking up in an arty farty frame of mind, I put on my cravat, adjusted my blazer, and headed up north to Santa Cruz. I’m no expert but I do love to dip into the wide and varied art scene that flourishes in Santa Cruz and La Laguna in particular. First port of call was a new venue for me, Centro de Arte la Recova just past La Noria as you head into the heart of the capital. New York bio artist Marlene Tseng Yu has an exhibition called Forces of Nature on until 27 August and like so many places in Tenerife, it is FREE.
Marlene’s work, acrylic on canvas is on a grand scale and centres on the environment and the beauty of our planet. La Recova is a large shell of a building and well suited to host such a display. The 16 works were all bright, vibrant and bursting with natural energy. Too often the art galleries are poorly supported but there was a steady trickle of visitors as I wandered around. the exhibition opens 11am to 1pm and 6pm to 9pm every day except Sunday, when it is closed, and it runs until 27 August.
I didn’t get very far after leaving the building, next door is the Teatro Guimera, a beautiful old theatre built in 1848 and currently undergoing a major facelift. It would have been all finished by now but the heavy rain and floods at the turn of the year did a lot of damage, hopefully it will now open in September, I will defnately have to take in a show there to see it in all its glory. It is named after poet and playwright Angel Guimera y Yorge who lived from 1845 to 1924. Most passing tourists snap a photo of the distinctive theatrical mask sculpture outside but I thought it was time that the inspiration for the building got his mug shot taken.
Where to next on this voyage of discovery? How about Plaza de España and a chance to catch up on the newly re-opened remains of the Castillo San Cristobal, one of the original defensive strongholds that helped to repel us horrible Brits and several other nationalities. the castle was built in 1575 but it was demolished in 1928 to make way for the Plaza de España, the centre piece of Santa Cruz. There was a nice surprise for the people of Santa Cruz when in 2006 Plaza de España was dug up for the new lake project, and underground part of the original castle wall was found standing firm. It was restored along with the main plaza and opened to the public but those heavy storms earlier this year flooded it out and more work was needed. I saw the first version and it was a bit plain, and the old section of wall with little explanation didn’t really do the history proud. This new version is loads better, much more information in Spanish and English, a big focus on the attack by Nelson, commentary with drum sound affects for the wall, and a seperate room for the famous Tiger canon. The Tigre has been credited with blowing Nelsons arm clean off, but as the guide notes explain,that is not proven, it did hole one of the British ships and played a big part in defeating the British earning it’s place in local folklore. The Castillo is open to the public Mon, Weds, Thurs and Fri from 10am to 6pm and Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 7pm, closed Tuesdays.
Having neglected La Laguna lately, and always up for a ride on the tram, I took the 30 minute glide up to the university city. One of my regular stops there is the Instituto de Canarias Cabrera Pinto in Calle San Agustin, they always have an interesting exhibition running. The latest is called 25ft_10 Orientaciones and features new views of everyday scenes from around Tenerife in drawings, paintings and photos. There is even a wedding area complete with a long reception table with scattered flowers and remains of a feast. I liked the photos of Sergio Real, revealing some hidden corners of daily life in small villages. The exhibitions here are always FREE and it’s nice to check up on the slow restoration process being carried out on the old Convent of San Agustin. The latest display is open Monday to Friday 10am to 8pm and Saturday 10am to 3pm. There are a lot of roadworks going on at the moment around the historic back waters of but its fairly easy to pick your way through and always rewarding.
Tramming back to Santa Cruz I got off and Plaza Weyler and walked down into the heart of the city and rounded my trip off with my usual papas bravas and churros de pescado at the kiosk on Plaza del Principe. it’s a lovely shady spot to watch the world bustle by and follow the green parakeets flitting from tree to tree. Not a bad old way to spend the day.